College playing career: Quarterback at the University of Florida from 1951-1953.

College coaching career: Tennessee (46-15-4 from 1964-1969, won SEC titles in 1965 and 1967); Florida (58-43-2 from 1970-1978).

College administration career: Athletic director at Tennessee from 1986-2002.

Notable: Credited with establishing two traditions at Tennessee, the distinctive "T" on the helmets and the team running through a "T" formed by the band. ... A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame. ... Led Florida to a victory over Tulsa in the 1953 Gator Bowl, coached Tennessee in the 1966 and 1969 Gator Bowls, then coached the Gators in the 1975 Gator Bowl. Returned to the Gator Bowl as the Vols' athletic director in 1994.

A coach for life

Doug Dickey reflects on his years at UF, UT

RICK WILSON/The Times-UnionFormer University of Florida football coach Doug Dickey poses for a portrait after playing a round of golf Friday morning at San Jose Country Club.

Doug Dickey almost can't help himself, said the San Jose Country Club members who play with him.

"He never stops coaching," Bill Basney said. "You've got a tough chip or a tough putt, and he's right there with you trying to coach you through it."

Once a coach, always a coach. But Dickey, who compiled a record of 104-58-6 from 1964 to 1978 at Tennessee and Florida and served as the Volunteers' athletic director from 1986 to 2002, is enjoying retirement in Jacksonville. He moved to the area in 2006 from Knoxville, Tenn. Dickey plays San Jose up to three times a week and has recently bettered his age of 76 four times - the last time shooting a 71, with four birdies, three of them in succession.

"First time I broke par on an 18-hole course," he said with some pride. "But you could still describe my game as consistently inconsistent."

Dickey talked to Garry Smits of the Times-Union after a recent round (Dickey missed shooting his age again by two shots) and reflected on his 41 years in college football, beginning as a quarterback for the Gators in 1951 - when he wore No. 15, the same number as current UF starter Tim Tebow.

Why Jacksonville to live?

My wife is from Daytona Beach. I'm from Gainesville, and we have children in Charlotte, Tallahassee and Tampa. We knew a lot of people in Jacksonville, since we had been here many times over the years. We had become accustomed to a good-sized city by living in Knoxville for so many years, and the weather is a lot nicer here in the winter. So, we decided to look at Jacksonville, and we're glad we did.

Has it helped your golf game?

Well, I've always been around a 10-to-12 handicap, and that hasn't changed. I still enjoy playing as much as I can. Golf is a hand-eye skill game, with some similarities to playing quarterback. It's also similar in that you've got to have some poise and keep everything under control. You can't get wild out there.

You've obviously built lifelong relationships with people at Florida and Tennessee. How would your describe your allegiance?

Call me a hybrid. I'm some of both. I played at Florida. [Current athletic director] Jeremy Foley started there when I was coaching. [Former sports information director] Norm Carlson has been a friend for a lifetime. I see guys running Gator Boosters who were student leaders when I was coaching. There have been a lot of warm, friendly relationships. But I have a lot of warm memories and relationships at Tennessee.

Did Tennessee pull the trigger too quickly in firing Phil Fulmer?

I don't think anyone can judge that unless you're in the shoes of the athletic director, the president and the advisers who they talked with about it. I don't want to judge anything. Tennessee had some misfortune with the quarterback process early on, and that did as much as anything to upset the applecart.

What will Fulmer's legacy be at Tennessee?

He had a huge legacy of success, a great run. He came in and said he wanted to take it to another level, which he did. In effect, that's what did him in. He took it to another level, that 10-win, championship level, but it dropped off to seven, eight, nine wins, and the appetite was not there with the public.

Is that fair?

I believe there are seven teams in the SEC who have won national championships, and the fans of those programs have short-term memories. Seven teams, every year, line it up to get it again. Then, you take Steve Spurrier at South Carolina, who has won one, so they're anxious to experience that. There's a whole bunch of people after it every time, and the competition is incredible.

How do you view the job Urban Meyer has done at Florida?

A fine job, and I'm very proud of that. He manages the thing extremely well. He's not a high-profile man publicly, which is good for him. He sticks to his knitting with his team and program and does a great management job.

What about Tim Tebow?

One of the all-time great players, no doubt about that. He's a player everyone wants to see play, and he never fails to perform in some way on the field that is exemplary. That SEC championship game in Atlanta was one of the great individual performances I have seen in a long time. And he's just as wonderful a person off the field. I'm happy to have been another No. 15 for Florida.

What's your take on the difficulties Lane Kiffin has gone through in his first few months as the Tennessee coach?

Well, with that one incident, I think he might have forgotten that even if there's no press [at a function], someone's in there who has a blog. It gets picked up, and pretty soon it's out there. There's nothing off the record anymore. I'm sure he learned a little lesson out of that. He's got some youthful exuberance, let's face it. And Tennessee fans weren't happy with what has happened in competing with Alabama, Georgia and Florida. If he said the wrong thing or was trying to take someone on, give him credit for getting in the hunt. Some politicians say it doesn't matter whether it's good or bad publicity, just give me the publicity.

Is 34 too young to be a coach in the SEC?

I doubt it. [Former Tennessee coach] Bill Battle and I were younger than that when we got the job for the first time. Lane has plenty of hired help with plenty of age. His father [Monte Kiffin] will help him. He's a great defensive coach. If they get their recruiting going right, they'll be fine. You know, Tennessee is never bad. Sometimes, they're just real good.

Is there too much pressure on college coaches in this day and age?

Maybe, with the BCS, but there would be even more of that with a playoff, which is why most people [college administrators] don't want it. If you don't get to a playoff, maybe you have to fire the coach, and the presidents don't want to be put in that box. If you send 16 teams to a playoff, does the guy who's 17th or 18th get fired? There's enough pressure in college football right now. Basketball is a different world. So is baseball or track. The other problem with a playoff is no one could see the bowl system succeeding to the level it does today. The bowls have been very good to college football and their communities. If it's not broke, don't fix it.

You're 76 and retired, but you're a spring chicken compared to Bobby Bowden at FSU and Joe Paterno at Penn State. How do they keep going?

I think it's a surprise to everyone that they're still coaching, but they are embedded in what they're doing, and they're in the hunt for something [the coaching victories record]. They've got themselves in a head-to-head deal and how they figure out how to handle it, I don't know. Something physical might happen to end it for either one, but we hope not. Maybe one day they'll see they're tied at the end of a season and say that's it.